Zauschneria, Epilobium canum

Zauschneria (Epilobium canum) is a perennial species of willowherb native to the dry slopes of western North America. It grows best in well-drained soil exposed to full sun, yet protected from wind and requires little watering. Once having many subspecies, this plant now has only three recognized subspecies. The plant is named after Johann Baptista Josef Zauschner (1737-1799), a professor of medicine and botany in Prague.

This plant grows to nearly 24 inches tall. Native populations exhibit great variation in appearance and habits. The small leaves may be either alternate or opposite, lance-shaped or oval-like, and has either short or non-existent stalks. It ranges in color from green to whitish. The plant spreads via rhizomes (roots grow horizontally and send shoots up progressively along the root). It has tubular or funnel-shaped flowers with reddish coloring that can range from fuchsia to pink to reddish-orange.

Other common names for this plant include California-fuchsia, Hummingbird Flower, and Hummingbird Trumpet (the flowers attract hummingbirds). The Zauschneria flowers in late summer and early autumn.